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Thousands of Afghans flee their homes as fighting erupts
Thousands of Afghans have fled their homes in Helmand province as fierce fighting between government forces and the Taliban erupted after the US military began withdrawing its remaining troops.
AFP reports Afghan forces pushed back a string of insurgent attacks on checkpoints across the southern province, where the US military on Sunday handed over a base to government forces as part of its formal pullout that began on 1 May.
About 1,000 families have fled their homes to escape the fighting that erupted on the outskirts of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand, and some other parts of the province, Sayed Mohammad Ramin, the region’s director for refugees told AFP.
He said the families had taken refuge in Lashkar Gah and had come from areas where fighting was intense in the past two days.
“We will survey their needs tomorrow, but many who still have not found shelter in the city need urgent assistance,” Ramin told AFP.
The defence ministry said government forces had killed more than 100 Taliban fighters in Helmand in the past 24 hours when the insurgents attacked some checkpoints on the outskirts of Lashkar Gah.
Another 22 al-Qaida fighters from Pakistan were also killed in the fighting, the ministry said.
Officials said the Taliban fighters initially captured some checkpoints but they were retaken by government forces who pushed back the insurgents, AFP reported.
“The enemy has now lost all the areas it had captured and suffered heavy casualties,” Attaullah Afghan, head of the Helmand provincial council, told AFP.
The Taliban said dozens of Afghan troops were killed in the fighting. Both sides are known to exaggerate casualties inflicted on the other.
UK-based medical care provider Emergency said it is receiving large numbers of “war wounded patients” at its surgical centre in Lashkar Gah due to widespread fighting in the area since 1 May.
It said the hospital received 106 patients, of which 65 had to be admitted.
“These are very difficult days in Lashkar Gah … We have also put beds in the physiotherapy room to accommodate all the injured patients,” Viktor Urosevic, medical coordinator at the hospital, said in a statement issued by Emergency.
Emergency’s Afghanistan coordinator, Marco Puntin, said fighting in Helmand was not an isolated event.
“We have witnessed an escalation of conflict across Afghanistan,” he said.
Fighting was also reported in several other provinces since the US military formally began pulling out its remaining 2,500 troops, AFP reported.
The Pentagon has downplayed the fighting.
“We’ve seen nothing thus far that has affected the drawdown, or had any significant impact on the mission at hand in Afghanistan,” US Department of Defence spokesperson John Kirby said on Monday.
Nearly 20 years after US and allied Natotroops invaded Afghanistan and ousted the Taliban government as they pursued al-Qaida after the September 11, 2001 attacks, President Joe Biden ordered in April the final withdrawal.
On Tuesday, US officials said the military has completed two to six percent of the withdrawal.
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Justice Ministry: Protests of Islamic laws considered protests against Sharia
The Ministry of Justice announced on Wednesday that there is no article, clause, subsection, provision, or ruling in the legislative documents of the Islamic Emirate that is contrary to Islamic Sharia or lacks a Sharia-based source. Rather, these documents are fully in accordance with Islamic Sharia, and protesting against them is considered a protest against Sharia itself.
According to a statement released by the Ministry of Justice, such protests have no Sharia-based or scholarly foundation and are carried out, out of ignorance or deliberate disregard. Such actions are deemed a crime under Sharia, and those who object to these laws will be referred to judicial and legal bodies for prosecution, the statement read.
“The legislative documents of the Islamic Emirate are drafted and derived by multiple committees of qualified Afghan scholars at the level of each relevant ministry and department, the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court, and the Office of the Leader of the Islamic Emirate, using the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (Peace Be Upon Him), and authoritative Hanafi jurisprudential texts,” the statement reads.
The Ministry of Justice further emphasized that the aforementioned legislative documents are repeatedly reviewed for compliance with Islamic Sharia and, after that, are submitted to the Leader of the Islamic Emirate for endorsement.
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Conference on Qatar’s mediation diplomacy held in Kabul
The Center of Strategic Studies at Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has organized an academic conference titled “Mediation Diplomacy in Qatar’s Foreign Policy.”
According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Qatar’s Ambassador, Mirdef Al Qashouti, delivered a detailed and comprehensive presentation examining the role and importance of mediation diplomacy within Qatar’s foreign policy framework.
The conference was attended by a number of officials and staff members from various departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as researchers, professors, and students of international relations from universities across the country.
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Muttaqi holds talks with Turkmenistan FM on expanding regional cooperation
Amir Khan Muttaqi, Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, held a video conference with Rashid Meredov, First Deputy Chair of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, to discuss expanding regional cooperation and future bilateral plans for this year.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Muttaqi welcomed the positive momentum in relations between the two countries, noting that strengthened and substantive ties have led to the launch of practical work on the TAPI gas pipeline project along the Herat route. He added that railway and power transmission (TAP) projects are also close to implementation, reflecting the steady expansion of bilateral relations.
Rashid Meredov highlighted the long-standing and friendly relations between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, expressing satisfaction with the growing cooperation at various levels. He emphasized the need for close coordination in implementing joint economic projects, facilitating official visits by senior officials, and organizing upcoming bilateral initiatives.
The two foreign ministers concluded the talks by underscoring the importance of enhancing regional cooperation and dialogue, particularly along the Afghanistan–Central Asia corridor, describing such engagement as both significant and valuable.
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